Security Audits Shield Your Business from Mobile Vulnerabilities

The importance of mobile network security cannot be over-emphasized today. As organizations increasingly depend on mobile devices to conduct their business, the threats targeting these devices have become more sophisticated. 

From SIM card fraud to scam apps and unsecured WI-FI, hackers are exploring new ways to steal sensitive data and compromise operational integrity. 

Fortunately, conducting regular security audits can help mitigate these attacks. Below, we will show you how to run one. But first, let’s break down what a security audit is and how it can protect your mobile network. 

A mobile network security audit is a comprehensive assessment of an enterprise’s network structure. This review aims to determine the security posture of a business, identify vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance with security policies and regulations. 

It is a procedure that involves checking access controls, network configuration, and firewall rules to detect potential weaknesses.

According to Kaspersky’s Annual Analysis of Mobile Threat Landscape, in 2023 alone, attacks targeting mobile devices rose to 33,790,599. This was a significant increase of almost 52% compared to the 22 million plus attacks recorded in 2022. 

This figure is not surprising. Organizations increasingly use mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to work more efficiently. Hence, these gadgets contain sensitive data that is targeted by cybercriminals. 

A security audit safeguards an organization’s mobile network in the ways illustrated below. 

Proactive Risk Identification

As we mentioned, a security audit gives an organization an in-depth assessment of its security practices. This way, it can identify vulnerabilities that threat actors can exploit. Detecting these gaps also helps the organization take corrective measures to strengthen its defenses. 

In addition, a security audit helps to ensure security controls are appropriately implemented and function effectively. This includes the technologies deployed and security procedures and policies. 

Aligning these aspects with best practices and industry standards reduces the risk of human errors and vulnerabilities. 

Compliance with Industry Standards

Different regions and industries have specific guidelines for data security and privacy, such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, DORA, and COSO internal control framework. Following these rules helps an organization avoid legal issues, fines, or damaged reputation. 

Moreover, being compliant shows your dedication to protecting data. This, in turn, builds trust with your customers and partners, who expect their information to be handled securely. 

A regular mobile network security audit is an effective way to remain compliant with these regulations. 

Continuous Improvement

Finding security vulnerabilities is one part of a mobile network security audit. This task also reveals how an organization can improve its security profile. Based on the audit findings, the organization can update its security policies and technologies. As a result, it can be better prepared to counter cyberattacks.  

For example, a security audit won’t just detect that a WiFi network is unsecured. The report will also recommend implementing encryption protocols.

Better Employee Cybersecurity Awareness

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Advancement in mobile technology means organizations encourage a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. While this helps the company save on providing devices for their employees, it also introduces new cybersecurity risks. For instance, it can lead to data leakage or loss. 

According to Verizon, 75% of successful attacks happen because of a human error. That is why it is essential to educate your employees on data protection and other cybersecurity best practices. 

Along with the recommendation for improvements, the report from a security audit also includes the need for training. This training may involve securing devices when connecting to public WiFi networks or recognizing phishing attempts. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting a security audit for your mobile network: 

1. Information gathering: The audit team will collect information about the mobile network, such as network architecture, device inventory, and security protocols. 
2. Planning and scoping: Next, the audit team creates the audit scope. This includes what section of the network they’re going to test, such as network segmentation, data encryption methods, and authentication processes. Defining the scope helps in setting clear objectives for the audit.
3. Vulnerability Assessments: At this stage, the team uses automated vulnerability scanners to find low-level vulnerabilities. 
4. Manual penetration testing: The testers then employ human expertise to test the network manually and detect hidden vulnerabilities. This stage involves simulated attacks on the network architecture to find potential weaknesses. 
5. Reporting: Once the assessment is complete, a detailed report is generated. It includes a summary of the findings, identified vulnerabilities, risk levels, and recommendations for improving network security. 
6. Remediation Support: The development team can request support from the service provider online or via consultation calls if they need help mitigating detected vulnerabilities. 
7. Retesting: Now, the audit team will test the network again to ensure all vulnerabilities have been addressed. 
8. LOA and security certificate: The report is issued with a Letter of Attestation (LOA) and security certificate. These documents support the organization’s claim that its network is secured and compliant with industry standards. 

Conducting a mobile network security audit is not a one-and-done activity. An organization must regularly perform this task to maintain the integrity of its network and address any new vulnerabilities that may arise. 

A mobile network security audit identifies vulnerabilities in the network that unauthorized users could exploit. Some of these vulnerabilities include: 

• SIM card attacks: In this attack, malicious actors steal a victim’s phone number by illegally transferring it to a new SIM card in their smartphone. Then, the fraudster uses it to confirm purchases or access financial data. 
• Scam apps: Some mobile applications are specially designed to run scams or navigate users to phishing sites. These apps are often disguised as free games that display excessive ads. They are most likely to include deceptive ads such as clickbait that appear like an annoying pop-up on your phone. 
• Tracking and data sharing: Some apps can monitor and share data even when you’re not actively using the app. This often happens without your knowledge, too. It is a function that app developers use to collect personal data or sell targeted ads. Unauthorized cross-app tracking can result in potential security risks. ‍
• Unsecured WiFi: Free or unencrypted WiFi is among the most prevalent threats to mobile network security. Cybercriminals can easily exploit these networks to distribute malware or access users’ information without their knowledge. They deploy strategies like DNS poisoning and ARP spoofing to funnel users onto unsafe websites through insecure WiFi.

Here is how you can protect your organization’s mobile network. 

Conduct a Risk Assessment

To secure your mobile network, you need to expand the visibility of your vulnerabilities. This is why a risk assessment is beneficial. It can detect weak areas and spotlight the most severe threats.   

Through a risk assessment, you can collect and analyze information on your network’s security features. When assessing mobile networks, prioritize endpoints. Most activities occur at endpoints, such as smartphones and tablets. Hence, this aspect is the most exposed to potential security risks. 

Monitor and Segment Your Network

Typically, network segmentation is used to establish low-security public networks for customers, separate from employee networks. But you can use it laterally and internally. 

Splitting your network into segments makes it difficult for cybercriminals to steal or damage data. It also reduces the risks associated with weak or compromised endpoint security. Even if a hacker gets hold of an employee’s phone, they can only access limited information. 

Secure Your Routers

Hackers can easily access your organization’s mobile network and all devices via unsecured WiFi routers. Once they’re in, they can spread malware or steal sensitive data. 

To prevent this, secure your routers. This involves enabling network encryption, keeping your router software up-to-date, and ensuring you have a good firewall.  

A simple action like updating your password can also go a long way toward accomplishing this. To ensure employees can create passwords that are hard to crack, adopt the NIST password expiration guidelines. It suggests that organizations implement password expiration and password resets only when a known compromise has occurred, or every 365 days.

Train Employees to Recognize Unsafe Apps

It can be tricky to identify unsafe apps. Many of them have good advertising and seem legitimate at first glance. However, these apps have some telltale signs you can inform employees about. 

For instance, they are almost always free to download but may include an in-app purchase, which hackers can use to steal credit cards and personal info. 

Also, these apps may be disguised as legitimate pop-ups on your phone. As per the Kaspersky report, this is the most prevalent threat to mobile devices, compromising 40.8% of all threats detected. 

Additionally, as employees engage with various social media platforms through mobile devices, they should be aware of practices like Facebook shadow banning, which can obscure the visibility of posts without notification, reflecting the subtle ways platform algorithms can affect users.

Secure Wireless Accounts

This is how you prevent hackers from transferring employees' phone numbers to a new SIM card without permission. 

To get started, contact your organization’s wireless provider. They will help you put security measures in place to verify a user’s identity before authorizing a SIM transfer. For instance, your provider may allow you to set up PIN systems employees can use to approve any changes to their phone number or wireless account. 

Another approach to prevent SIM swapping is keeping high-risk phone numbers confidential. Without a phone number, hackers can’t swap SIMs. So, don’t post sensitive phone numbers online or share them with unverified sources. 

Mobile devices are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals, and it is easy to see why. They are portable, so people will almost always be with them. If employees aren’t security conscious or sloppy, these criminals can gain unauthorized access to an organization’s network. 

A regular security audit is how you mitigate these threats. Follow the steps above to conduct one and safeguard your mobile network.